Heat Stroke: Sonic Fever
by StarrBetta
Summary: Sonic is left bedridden after a battle with Eggman. Despite Eggman being at large, the world is at peace. The same cannot be said about Sonic as he continues to deny the hate within. A denial that could very well be the hero's end. Full summery inside.


(Disclaimer – All characters featured in this this chapter are property of Sega.)

-Story Summery-

In their last battle, almost seven years ago, Sonic is gravely injured and left bedridden while protecting his friends from Eggman's newest weapon. Also injured. Eggman manages to escape into hiding across the ocean. Despite Eggman being at large, and the Chaos Emeralds being nowhere to be found, the world is finally at peace. The same cannot be said about Sonic's heart as he continues to battle the hate within. Restless, he joins the "Chaos Seekers", a group founded by Tails in order to find the missing Chaos Emeralds. The closer they get to the Emeralds, and possibly Eggman himself, the more hungry for revenge Sonic feels, although he denies it to his very core. A denial, Eggman will discover, that could very well be the hero's downfall.

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><p>Authors note – Hello readers! I'm extremely eager to present to you the story of "Heat Stroke: Sonic Fever". I originally got this idea while doing a play-through of Sonic Adventure 2, and was planning on transforming the idea into a comic. Realizing that my story had built up too much depth, I decided it would be better conveyed through words rather than pictures.<p>

Just a heads up before you start; This story is intended for a teen audience. I did leave little presents for those of you who like pairings, however I will stand firm that this story has no formal couplings. There is gun usage, blood, gore, violence, coarse language, and the death of a beloved character. This story also contains large levels of caffeine, and therefore does not mix well with alcohol. Please read responsibly.

And also...

Please enjoy!

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><p>Chapter One<p>

When he could no longer bear the feeling of being watched, Sonic finally slowed to a stop and took a better look around himself. He could see for miles, the desolate, cracked plains were so flat. The odd plant stood up here and there, but there was nothing big enough for anything to hide behind. Gripping the hood of his cloak, he used it to shield his eyes from the glaring sun as he searched the air. The sky was clear of even a wisp of cloud, as it had been for the last six years. It has been Tails that had noticed the strange, dried up island and brought him here. Thinking about the fox reminded Sonic about his earpiece, a light static sound he had managed to tune out. He down-turned his head as he brought his hand to the device, pushing a button.

" Find anything Tails?"

There was a pause before the slightly distorted voice got through, " There is nothing on my end Sonic. Your headset is picking up an electronic signal though. Should we head to your location?"

Sonic's eyes flicked upwards again. " Yeah, I have a feeling we're close. Sonic out."

He had seen some sort of movement in the sky, but whatever it was positioned itself over the sun. Sonic was unable to focus on it. Off in the distance another figure moved, becoming larger as it approached. Likely Tails. It seemed closer than it really was, and the hedgehog was unable to find any patience, so he kicked up dry dust as he sped off to meet the vehicle.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught the movement above again. Changing his mind about meeting Tails, he dropped to the ground in a skid, kicking up massive amounts of dust. Before the dust could find time to settle, the blur shot from the cloud and up above the airborne object. From slightly above, Sonic could see some sort of camera lens turning to focus on him, as if it was moving in slow motion. The camera lens twisted slightly, to adjust it's focus as it made eye contact with the hedgehog. With a grunt Sonic spun himself into a forward flip, bringing the heel of his foot down on top of the jet propelled bot.

Like a falling star the bot struck the ground, kicking up more dirt. Sonic landed hard nearby, rolling to ease off some of the impact. The growl of the approaching vehicle was getting close, and as the dust settled Sonic could see the blue and yellow machine speeding towards him. Four large tires came to a skidding halt, and two cloaked figures threw themselves off and ran to greet him.

" Did you find something?" Tails pushed back his hood when he got in front of Sonic. They were about the same height, however the fox still seemed to look up towards the hedgehog. When Sonic gestured to the broken robot, Tails lowered himself next to it, followed by his friend. In silence he examined it without touching. " It seems to be some sort of camera." he confirmed. " It's broken but..." He pulled back his cloak to show Sonic his wrist. He was wearing a device slightly larger than a wristwatch. On it was a small screen, showing several blue dots, and one red one. " The blue symbols are us, more specifically, these." He motioned to his headset. " The red is an unknown signal. The machine is destroyed, but it still seems to be broadcasting." When he brought his hands out of his cloak again, he was holding a pair of wire cutters. " I think it would be best to disable the battery and bring this back with us."

As Tails began to reach for the machine, a slight movement caught Sonic's eye, " Tails!" He shoved the fox out of the way just in time. A little door on the machine opened and something small and round shot out, just missing Tails. It hit the dirt and bounced once before several little legs popped out. It let out a low, clicking growl before it leapt again. Sonic reached out to swat at it as it came towards them. There was a low 'chink' as his hand struck the robotic insect. By the weight on his hand he realized that the bug had attached itself to his glove. He lifted his hand to shake off the insect, but it jumped again, landing awkwardly on Sonic's now exposed arm.

When he went to grab it with his other hand, a stinging pain caused Sonic to flinch. The robot bit into him with a growl. Now, beyond annoyed, Sonic wrapped his hand around the bug and yanked it off of him before throwing it to the ground. It turned out to be a mistake. With a high pitched metallic screech, the insect burrowed into the ground and was gone, leaving Sonic cursing with frustration.

Tails blinked, trying to catch up with what just happened. " Sonic, you're bleeding!" he blurted out, and Sonic looked down at his arm. Indeed he was bleeding, the cuff on his glove had already stained from the stream flowing down his arm. He pulled back his cloak to have a better look at the wound. It wasn't serious, but it seemed to be bleeding a lot.

" Let me." The second cloaked figure, who had been watching from a short distance pulled back her hood. She stood awkwardly, a tad shorter than Tails. Long ears that had been tucked into the hood before popped out, now free. Cream seemed to float her way back towards Tail's vehicle, in contrast to her awkward stance. She pulled out a white bag from the bed in back. Upon returning, she ordered Sonic to sit as she bandaged the wound. She pulled the bandage tight and Sonic yelped slightly. "Sorry..." she muttered before rising to her feet.

Tails glanced down at his tracking device. " The signal is moving away from us quite fast." He observed. " It would be best if we returned to base camp and see what the others turned up." The other two nodded and began for Tail's machine.

" Tails?" Sonic paused in front of the vehicle. He had flown to the island on the Tornado, and this hardly looked similar. " How did you get this on the island?"

The fox looked up at him with a sly smile. " What do you mean? We both rode on it on our way to the island. This is the Tornado IV." He puffed out his chest with pride. " You left in such a hurry, you missed the grand transformation."

" I...uh... see." Sonic jumped up into the bed of the Tornado, letting Cream take the only passenger seat. Once settled, Tails started the vehicle with a roar, and set off at a rather quick pace across the plains. They had a lot of ground to cover to get back to base.

"Cha-ow!" A little voice greeted Sonic from the front seat of the Tornado. Looking back at him was a blue-white chao with a little yellow halo bouncing cheerfully above his head and a smart looking bow tie resting below his throat. The hero chao turned back to Cream with a grin and plopped himself on her lap. The bunny pet her long time friend absently.

" Cheese is thirsty." She said, " Sonic do you have any water left?" When he shook his head, she sighed, " I wasn't expecting it to be like this. Next time I'm staying at camp where it isn't so hot and I don't have to wear this silly cloak."

Tails rolled his eyes at Creams whining, " We're almost back, just a few more minutes."

Gradually, plant life began appearing in the form of yellow patches of grass and a few gnarled trees. In the distance though, Sonic could begin to see the thick forest they had been using as their base for the "Chaos Seekers", an elaborate organization founded in order to locate the missing Chaos Emeralds. Near the centre of it was a small lake, the only fresh water source on the island. Tails followed the edge of the forest for awhile before he pushed several buttons, " Hang on!" He shouted as the roar of jets filled the air. Wings shot out of the side of the vehicle, however the tires remained where they were. The Tornado lifted up over the trees and circled the forest. The only clear area was the lake, which was where Tails appeared to be trying to land. As the wheels touched water, they acted as floats, keeping them all from sinking into the clear water.

As the three of them walked to the base camp, Tails was warmly greeted by everyone who saw them. Forest coloured tents began dotting the brush as they got deeper into the camp. They dumped their cloaks onto a tree branch outside the largest of the tents, exposing their arms to the shaded forest air. Each of them, and all the others at camp wore wearing a faded yellow ribbon on their upper arms, the symbol of the CS. Several of the other members stood up outside as Tails pulled open the large tent flap. He turned to Sonic and Cream. " We'll hold a general meeting tomorrow about our course of action, but for now you two should rest." The young fox took on an authoritative tone which Sonic always found eerie. Founding the Chaos Seekers had been a difficult feat for him, but somehow Tails had found the ability to lead as he grew. The fox faced to those waiting on his word. " I'll speak with the leader of each squad, everyone else should rest up and drink lots of water." He entered the tent, loyal followers behind him.

The meeting wasn't as long as Sonic thought it would be, and Tails joined him in their shared tent before he could fall asleep. Tails crawled on to his sleeping pad and lay on his stomach with a sigh, " Nobody else found a trace of them here. There wasn't a trace of anything." He rolled to his side and glanced at Sonic, who's gaze was straight upward, his arms behind his head. " Sonic... I don't want to ask this but... If he turns out to be on the island..."

Sonic turned and looked his friend straight in the eye, " Revenge isn't my thing." he said after some thought, " I will do my thing the way I've always done it."

Tails nodded, visibly relieved. His eyelids fluttered as he drifted off, exhausted. He jolted awake slightly when he thought of one other thing to ask Sonic, but his friend was already fast asleep.

Chapter End

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><p>In the next chapter: When Sonic falls ill to poisoning and the CS is sent a message saying that their base has been discovered, it is up to Tails to make the difficult choice on whether or not they will surrender Sonic to be held hostage, which would prevent them from acquiring the very objects they've been seeking. Are the Chaos Emeralds worth risking Sonic's life? Fortunately Sonic has come up with a daring plan and if they can pull it off the CS can take control of the Chaos Emeralds, however it also means they will be unable to acquire the antidote needed to save his life. Can Tails contribute resources to a mission when he knows his friend won't make it back?<p>

Coming soon~~~


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